Winter is Coming
by hellofhamlol
Summary: Sixteen-year-old Adelaide De L'Hiver is the Ice Princess of Snowden, but her family was murdered when she was nine, and she is a King's Ward until she is twenty-five and takes her throne. She has a book of things that will happen, things to do with a boy, her age, named Merlin. She must help to save everyone who dies in her book, but she also has problems of her own to worry about.


_**A/N:**_

 _ **Adelaide's last name is pronounced Delevar, but it's actually French for 'of the winter'. Adelaide looks kind of like Sansa Stark from GOT, only she has black hair and ice blue eyes. Adelaide's dagger, Gaeafwedidod, is Welsh for 'winter has come' (Gaeaf wedi dod) All the main characters (Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, Gwen, Adelaide, Percival, Gwaine, (Elyan is gonna be fourteen or eighteen, it depends on whether or not he's older or younger than Gwen, because I honestly don't know), and Lancelot are gonna be sixteen in The Dragon's call, and around twenty-four to twenty-five in The Diamond of the Day. This fanfic is gonna end at The Diamond of the Day, but I'll be writing a sequel for after the series. And, here's the characters' birthdays for in-between chapters;**_

 _ **Merlin: October 19**_ _ **th**_

 _ **Arthur: April 23**_ _ **rd**_

 _ **Morgana: July 2**_ _ **nd**_

 _ **Gwen: December 14**_ _ **th**_

 _ **Adelaide: August 16**_ _ **th**_

 _ **Lancelot: January 12**_ _ **th**_

 _ **Gwaine: September 30**_ _ **th**_

 _ **Percival: March 21**_ _ **st**_

 _ **Elyan: February 29**_ _ **th**_ _ **/March 1**_ _ **st**_

 _ **Alright. I've always wanted to give them birthdays. I never had any idea when to set up a lonely, 1-person party for Merlin, or Morgana, or the rest of the fham. And I'm also saying that it has been fifteen years since the great purge was over, because I don't want fham to be twenty-something. Oh and I'm changing this stuff from historically accurate (11**_ _ **th**_ _ **century), to more inspiration and dresses to base off of on Tumblr and Pinterest (16**_ _ **th**_ _ **century) -Megan**_

Chapter One: Before and The Dragon's Call

I was falling. I knew I was falling because the trees kept getting nearer and I felt the wind whipping past my face. I couldn't remember anything. I hit the ground. The fall should have killed me, but some unforeseen force slowed my decent as I neared the forest floor. My clothing was, surprisingly, neat and clean. I was wearing a long, white, dress with silk sleeves, brown leather boots, and a midnight blue velvet cloak with white fur lining. There was a shining gold-and-silver dagger with an amethyst in its hilt on a silky cord around my neck, and a small, rabbit hide pouch tied to my wrist. I looked inside and found an ice-cold, glittering crystal, some strange, carved beads, a tiny crystal vial of what looked like water, an elaborate amethyst ring, a key ring with about a billion different keys, a roll of parchment with a red wax seal, and a lot of small coins. I looked around. I was in a clearing, surrounded by tall oaks and with a gigantic willow tree standing tall in the middle. There was a large rock under the willow, and at the base, the entrance to a cave was concealed by lavender vines. It was snowing, but it wasn't cold. A booming roar sounded from the other side of the willow tree, startling me. As I carefully made my way around the clearing to investigate, I took the dagger from my neck. I wished that it was a long sword, because whatever was on the other side of the clearing was big, and I did _not_ want to get close to it. Then, the dagger grew to the size of a broadsword. I was in awe. How did that happen? Then I realized; this was a dream. Knowing that I couldn't get hurt, I walked to the other side of the clearing. Then I shrieked. Even if I _was_ dreaming, a fifty-foot dragon was still scary!

"Adelaide De L'Hiver, what brings you here?" The dragon asked. I looked up, and recognized him as Kilgharrah.

"What do you mean? I just fell from the sky! What are _you_ doing here?" I questioned back.

"So you don't know. I feared it would be like this. Tell me, Young Queen, what do you remember?" Suddenly, memories came flooding back to me. Memories of my childhood, spent in a frozen castle of some sort. I was Adelaide De L'Hiver, nine years old, Ice Princess of Snowden, daughter of Winter King Morrison and Frost Queen Katherine the Fair of Snowden, a country far North of Camelot. We were considered a separate country, but my father and King Uther were like brothers, meaning that our countries were more together than apart. My family had been slaughtered by invading Saxons, and I alone had escaped. I was going to Camelot for help, as Saxons had taken The Frozen Palace, our place of power, and all of our knights had been killed. Before he died, my father had given me a letter to King Uther, begging him to let me stay with him until I was twenty-five, ready to take back Snowden and become Frost Queen.

"I remember everything now," I said

"Do you-" Kilgharrah's voice cut off, "now, you must be going. You must wake. You will find this place again soon, but right now, in the real world, there are Saxons nearby. They're looking for you. If they find you, you know what they will do. Your horse is awaiting your command. Continue to ride South-West, and you will reach the citadel by tomorrow at sundown. Wake, Adelaide, wake and run for your life," Kilgharrah's voice slowly faded, until I felt myself rising into wakefulness once more.

"Hurry, Shadowfrost! They're coming!" I quietly urged my shining black thoroughbred as we moved through the snow. As soon as I had awoken, I gathered my things and left the cave in which I had been sleeping in. Shadowfrost swiftly and silently picked her way through the deep snow and across the frozen brooks that littered the Northern Woods of Camelot. We rode on through the night and a little into the next day before Shadowfrost had to stop. I let her, as I knew that she would die before we reached Camelot if she didn't rest. I tried to warm some apples for her, so that she could eat before we rode on, but it didn't do much. The apples were nearly frozen through. I gave up after ten minutes of thawing, and gave them to Shadowfrost. After we had rested, I mounted her and we rode on. About twelve hours later, we reached the place from my dream. I walked over to the cave, with its flowering vines, though it was the middle of winter, and looked inside. I found a bed of surprisingly warm cotton, a fire pit, and a rabbit fur pack. Somehow, I knew that no one had been here before, though the evidence suggested otherwise, and that this was for me. I opened the sack, only to find nothing but a book. A very thick, medium sized book bound by black leather. I skimmed through the pages of the book, and realized that this was a book of things that were yet to happen, things to do with the life of a boy named Merlin.

We rested there for about ten minutes, then rode on, and reached the citadel within the hour. The sun was setting by the time the guard let us in, just as Kilgharrah had said. I felt weakened by my journey, battered and bruised by the Saxons and by the forests that I passed through on my way here. I strolled to the throne room, and walked in without invitation. The council members all turned around at the sound of me collapsing with pain and exhaustion.

"Council dismissed! Someone go an fetch Gaius!" Uther shouted, "Adelaide? Can you here me? Where are your parents?"

That was the last thing that I heard before I lost consciousness.

"I'm not sure if she will make it, Sire," It was Gaius. I'd know the voice of my favourite physician anywhere. I was in Gaius's chambers, in the bed that I knew would become Merlin's, eventually.

"Uncle," Gaius and Uther's heads whipped around to face me.

"Addy! You're alright! We were so worried! You showed up in the middle of a council meeting, collapsed, and then you wouldn't wake up! What happened?"

"Uncle, I am the bringer of horrible news. We were attacked by the Saxons. Only I survived. My father asked me to give you this, before he died," I handed him the roll of parchment that contained my father's plea, "I'm sorry, Uncle. You have lost a brother,"

Uther scooped me up into a giant hug, "And you have lost a father. At least we don't have to grieve alone. What does the letter say?" Uther asked.

"It is Father's final wishes. I have not read it," I replied.

"It says; _Dear Brother, if you are reading this, I have died and my wife or daughter has reached you safely. If it is my daughter that brought you this letter, Katherine is dead, incapacitated, or captured. If the circumstances are as I believe they will be, Adelaide is the last living De L'Hiver, is the heir to the throne of Snowden, and cannot return because The Frozen Palace has been taken by Saxons. We have known of this attack for some time, and have been preparing for siege, as to send our small brigade to fend off the entire Saxon army would result in a complete slaughter. Please, Brother, I am begging you to raise Adelaide until she is twenty-five, and help her reclaim her throne in Snowden. She is not ready to become the Frost Queen yet, so let her stay with you until she has matured. I have always loved you, my friend, as if you truly were my brother, so please, love Addy like she truly is your daughter. Sincerely, Morrison."_ Uther read. We were all in tears by the end. Uther looked up at me, and said, "A servant will prepare your room. You are now a Daughter of Camelot, and you shall be treated like one. Gaius, is she well enough to be moved into her own chambers?"

"Yes, of course, Sire. The only problem with her was waking, and now that she has woken, she should be on bedrest for a day or so,"

"I was cursed to fall asleep? Who could do that? Someone must have been following me!" I exclaimed.

"You need to rest and eat. Then, you must tell the court of your journey." Uther said. We walked together to my room, which must have been prepared, though I had no idea how a servant knew that I was staying.

"What's happened to Shadowfrost? I would like to pay her a visit soon. She was a gift from my father," I asked.

"She has been fed and watered. She's currently in the stables. Arthur heard that you have arrived. He would like to go for a ride with you, when you're feeling up to it," Uther said. Arthur was one of my best friends, and it was a tradition that we went for a ride the day that I arrived, which meant that we went for a lot of rides. I had been coming here at least twice every month in the nine years that I had been alive. The first person to see me, other than my parents and the knights that had accompanied us on my first journey to Camelot, was Uther. My parents didn't tell him that I had been born, and my mother had stayed away from Camelot when her pregnancy became visual, so Uther didn't know that he was going to be an uncle. My father always said that it had been plotted to be the 'biggest surprise of Uther's life.' The story that they had told me said that Uther cried when he saw me. I had laughed. Uncle, crying? It didn't seem possible. I was broken out of my thoughts by the sound of my best friends shouting.

"Addy! You're back!" Morgana and Arthur shouted. Morgana was like the sister that I never had.

"Yes, and I'm staying too!" My voice trailed away as it dawned upon me why I was staying. I had known before, but the shock and sadness that accompanied my parents' death was nearly forgotten while I was on the run. I had been so busy with staying hidden, moving quickly, and surviving that I'd had no time to grieve. I started to cry.

"Addy! What is wrong?" Morgana cried. I shook my head and walked away. Only one thing could cheer me up now.

"Young Queen, why so sad?" The Great Dragon asked.

"How do you do it? How do you stay locked up in here, with no one to keep you company?"

"I don't. I contact those in need through dreams, so I spend most of my time sleeping. I am always in a dream; in which I can roam freely until I wake. But, Adelaide, why are you sad?"

"I'm grieving my parents. I didn't have the time to be sad while I ran, but now I have sixteen years' worth of waiting. There's plenty of time to do everything," I answered.

"You shouldn't cry. You are to be the Frost Queen of Snowden, so you must appear strong, even if you are broken inside,"

"How do I appear strong? How do I appear strong when I am so sad?" I cried up to the dragon. He chuckled softly.

"You don't," He said, before flying away.

"Addy, are you alright?" Arthur asked as we walked towards my chambers.

"Yes, I suppose so, Arthur," I replied. He could tell that I was lying, but he didn't press me. He was the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for. I entered my room and ate. I took a thirty-minute nap, combed my hair, and left for the court. If I was going to tell my story, I might as well look as though I had survived it. Telling my story was uneventful. There was an odd question here or there, but nothing important. I finished my tale with a plea for help in reclaiming Snowden, when I was old enough to be queen.

"Please. Help me take back my home," I begged.

Uther came to me and hugged me, "You are home,"

Over the next seven years, I learned how to be a ruler from Uther, became best friends with Kilgharrah the dragon, learned how to heal from Gaius, learned how to cook from the chef in the kitchens, learned all that anyone could ever need to know about horses, tack, and grooming from the stable hands, learned how to hunt, fish, and trap, became extremely skilled in archery (my dagger could turn into any weapon I could think of; magic was totally banned in Camelot, but in Snowden, if it was healing magic or a helpful magic item, it was legal, so Uncle let me keep it), and became family to the royal household. Morgana and I were more like sisters than friends, Arthur was like my brother, and Uther, as always, was my Uncle. Of course, Kilgharrah became a sort of father to me, almost, and Gaius was more like an awesome grandfather. I never knew that Kilgharrah had the ability to make someone feel loved, but he loved me like I was his own hatchling. It was almost my sixteenth birthday when things started to change…

"Uncle, must you execute everyone that is suspected of using magic? I mean, no one knows for _sure_ if he did it, right?" I asked Uther. He was going to execute a man named Thomas Collins today. I remembered that name from my book, in the very beginning. I had had very little time to read the book, with all my classes and such, but I had gotten through the first chapter, called _The Dragon's Call_. Kilgharrah was in that chapter, as well as Arthur, Morgana, and Uncle.

"He's a sorcerer, Addy. You know what they do. They're evil," Uncle replied.

"But still, he didn't hurt anyone, did he?" Uncle ignored me. I was getting tired of executions. The beheadings and burnings were sickening to look at, but I didn't dare turn away. I had learned to watch coldly, as if I was already Frost Queen.

"Let this serve as a lesson to all," Uther called out to the crowd from atop the balcony, "this man, Thomas James Collins, is adjudged guilty of conspiring to use enchantments and magic. And, pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practices are banned on penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass," Uther raised his arm, and lowered it as a signal to the executioner. I watched coldly as Thomas James Collins was beheaded. The people down below gasped.

"When I came to this land, this kingdom was mired in chaos, but with the people's help magic was driven from the realm. So I declare a festival to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery, ending with the anniversary of the birth of Ice Princess Adelaide De L'Hiver, Lady of Camelot and the future Frost Queen of Snowden. Let the celebrations begin," Uther finished.

Suddenly, there was a wailing sound. I knew it would happen, as I had read the first chapter of my book.

"There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! With your hatred and your ignorance! You took my son! And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a son for a son," Mary Collins screamed.

"Seize her!" Uther shouted to the guards. Mary chanted a spell, and disappeared in a whirl of wind and smoke. We went back inside.

"She'll be back, Uncle. You must be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt, or Arthur," I said.

"When she returns, she shall be captured and executed," Uther replied. I left to go to Morgana's chambers. I knew that she would be upset over the execution.

"Morgana," I said.

"Addy, it's so awful! I cannot believe that Uther just brushed off your warning!" Morgana said.

"I know. Let's have some tea. That always makes me feel better. Gwen!"

"Yes, Milady?" Gwen replied.

"For the last time, Gwen, stop calling me that! It's Addy to my friends, and you are my friend. May you get us some tea? Then, join us. We would love to have tea with you," I said.

"Of course, Addy. I humbly accept your invitation to tea," It was a long-running joke between us. Gwen would act like a servant, which she was, but she was also our friend, so she didn't have to act like a normal servant, we would invite her to tea. She would accept our invitation with the most ridiculous statement, and we would all speak like that during our small tea party. The inside jokes that came from our tea parties were crazy and hilarious, but when we cracked one in front of anyone else, they would look at us like we were mad. Those looks were also imitated in our parties. The tea party went normally, with about seven new jokes, when Uther walked in. Gwen politely excused herself.

"Morgana, Adelaide," Uther said.

"Yes?" We replied in unison.

"What is this? why are you not joining us at the feast?"

"We just don't think that chopping someone's head off is cause for celebration. That poor mother," I stole Morgana's line. I had no lines of my own in my book, so I had to take lines and make new ones when I spoke.

"It was simple justice for what he'd done," Uther replied.

"To whom? He practiced magic, he didn't hurt anyone," Morgana said.

"You were not around fifteen years ago, you have no idea what it was like," Uther snapped.

"How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?" I asked incredulously.

"Until they realize there is no room for magic in my kingdom! You both will be here when I greet Lady Helen," Uther retorted.

"We told you! We want no part in these celebrations! Even if it is my birthday!" I said angrily.

"I'm your guardian! I expect you to do as I ask. If you show me no respect at least respect our finest singer and your birthday feast," Uther barked before leaving the room.

"You know, the more brutal you are, the more enemies you will create!" Morgana called after him, "well, that was infuriating," she said.

"At least _your_ birthday isn't being completely ruined by executions. I think he ruined the tea party. I need to go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said before leaving.

I woke up. I had been having a nightmare, one where Lady Helen was murdered by Mary Collins, and Mary took her place. I knew that this would happen, but it was still pretty scary. Gwen helped me dress into a simple, ice-blue dress. Gwen said that it matched my eyes. She put some of my wavy, black hair into a braided crown, and left the rest trailing down my back. I walked into Gaius's chambers to see a bucket of water on the ground, and a boy my age going to get a mop. No one had noticed me so I chuckled and said, "Getting clumsy, Gaius?"

Both turned to me, and I recognized the boy as Merlin, from my book.

"Hi, I'm-" Merlin said, but I cut him off.

"Merlin. Yes, I know who you are. I'm Addy. Who dropped the bucket?" I asked,

They looked uncomfortable. "It was me," Merlin said.

"Are you Gaius's ward or apprentice or both?" They looked at me again.

"What are you implying, Adelaide?" Gaius asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing," I said with an evil smirk.

"Adelaide? That's a nice name," Merlin blushed. I smiled at him, not evilly this time.

"Well, I just came to say that someone needs to smack Uther Pendragon in the head," They looked at me with surprise, _again_ , "oh, _hush_. He decided to ruin my birthday with about a thousand executions! Do you know how awful it's going to be when we're feasting and I've lost my appetite because I watched fourteen heads roll that afternoon?"

"From the way you watched from the balcony, I didn't think that you cared, Adelaide," Gaius joked.

"Well, some day, I'll have to be ordering executions, so I had better get used to it," I replied.

"Merlin, I have some deliveries for you to make. Hollyhock and Feverfew for Lady Percival, and this is for Sir Olwin. He's as blind as a weevil, so warn him not to take it all at once," Gaius said.

"I'll go with him to make sure he doesn't mess up," I said. Merlin blushed.

"Okay," Merlin said.

Merlin and I left and walked down the Physician's Corridor.

"So, have you learned anything from Gaius yet, or are you one of the thick-headed ones?" I asked. What was it with this guy and blushing?

"I-I just got here yesterday," He stammered.

"Well, I knew that, but I learned how to bring down fevers, cure poisons, stitch a wound, and mend a broken bone in a day, so you must have learned something important," I loved making this guy uncomfortable. His blush was honestly the cutest thing.

Wait…

What?

The cutest thing?

What is going through my _mind_ right now?

"How did you know that I got here yesterday?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I-I just know things," I faltered. Great. I was planning on looking mysterious and powerful in front of Merlin. In the first chapter, my book already pictures him as the most powerful sorcerer of all time. And, I had skimmed through the last chapter when I first got the book. His power was endless. I wanted him to like me, not think me a sputtering fool. He smiled at me, and my frozen heart just melted. I could feel myself blushing, which made me blush even more. We were silent for the rest of the walk to Sir Olwin's house. Merlin knocked on the door, and a squinting man opened it.

"Erm, I brought you your medicine," Sir Olwin popped the cork and started drinking it, "Oh, and Gaius said don't drink it all at…"

Sir Olwin finished drinking the remedy.

"I'm sure it's fine," Merlin and I said in unison.

We had walked away from the house before I snorted, before breaking out in laughter. Merlin joined me.

"You know, Adelaide, you have the cutest laugh," He realized what he had said and blushed, "I-I mean, um, it, never mind…" He just stopped stuttering and walked on awkwardly. I smiled at him, and he bashfully smiled back. It was the cutest smile I had ever seen.

"I already said, call me Addy," I said.

We crossed the drawbridge gate into the training grounds. I saw Arthur bullying Morris, a serving boy.

"Where's the target?" Arthur asked tauntingly. His gang laughed.

"There, Sir?" Morris said timidly.

"It's into the sun?"

"But it's not that bright,"

"A bit like you, then?" Arthur's friends laughed again.

"I'll put the target on the other end, shall I, Sir?" Morris started to carry the target towards the wall.

"Teach him a lesson. Go on, boy," A knight said.

"This'll teach him," Arthur said as he drew a dagger.

"Yeah," Another knight said.

The first knight laughed stupidly, "Teach him a lesson,"

Arthur threw the dagger at the target. I couldn't help but gasp. What if he hit the serving boy?

"Hey! Hang on!" Morris said.

"Don't stop!" Arthur teased. Morris took a few steps back. I decided that I wanted to avoid the next scene, as Merlin would get thrown in the dungeons, and I didn't want that for him.

"Here?" Morris asked. I could see Gwen shaking a curtain out an upper window.

"I told you, keep moving!" Arthur threw another dagger, but it was intercepted by a gleaming, silver, raven-feather arrow. It was embedded in the wall through the dead-center of the blade. Everyone whirled around and looked at me as I spun my bow in the air and caught the dagger than came from it, which I had named Gaeafwedidod. It was 'winter has come' in The Old Language. My parents had known how to speak in The Old Language, so I was very fluent.

"I should have known, with that shot, that you would be here, Adelaide," Arthur teased in a friendlier manner. Apparently, my attempt to stop the next scene had been fruitless. Morris had dropped the target in surprise, and it had rolled to Merlin's feet. Merlin put his foot on it so Morris couldn't pick it up.

"Hey, come on, that's enough," He said.

"Merlin, don't," I murmured. I really, _really_ , didn't want him to get thrown in the dungeons. That would suck, "please. I'm begging you, don't fight him. Please. You have no idea what will happen!"

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," He said.

"What?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"You've had your fun, my friend,"

"Do I know you?"

"Er, I'm Merlin," Merlin held out his hand.

"So I don't know you,"

"No,"

"Yet you called me 'friend',"

"That was my mistake,"

"Yes, I think so,"

"Yeah, I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass," Merlin started to walk away while I groaned.

"Or I one who could be so stupid," Arthur snorted. Merlin stopped walking.

"Tell me, Merlin, do you know how to walk on your knees?"

"No,"

"Would you like me to help you?"

"I wouldn't if I were you,"

"Why? What are you going to do to me?"

"You have no idea,"

"Be my guest! Come on! Come on! Come _on_!" Merlin tried to throw a punch, but Arthur twisted his arm behind his back.

"I'll have you thrown in jail for that," Arthur said.

"What, who do you think you are? The King?" Merlin asked.

"No. I'm his son, Arthur,"

Arthur took Merlin out at the knees.

That night, Mary Collins, disguised as Lady Helen, rode into Camelot. I was with Uther, Morgana, Arthur, and a few other court members when we greeted her.

"Lady Helen. Thank you so much for coming to sing at our celebrations,"

"The pleasure's all mine," She replied. I could see the sarcasm and anger in her eyes. But, that's because I was looking for it.

"How was your journey?" Uncle asked.

"Oh, the time it took, Sire," 'Helen' sighed. Uncle kissed her hands.

"Well, it's always worth the wait,"

"It will be," Helen replied evilly.

I woke up the next morning and yawned. I decided not to visit Merlin in the stocks because I knew that he would be embarrassed. I decided to go on a ride for the morning. I dressed in a white dress with snowflake lace, and Gwen styled my hair the same as yesterday. I thanked her and left. I knew that Merlin would have chores this afternoon, so I packed a picnic and asked Morgana to accompany me. We went to the stables, and I readied Shadowfrost myself while a stable hand readied her horse, Crow. We rode to the clearing that I had rested in on my journey. We sat upon the rock, ate, and talked for hours.

"Addy, how did you know about this place?" Morgana asked.

"I rested in the cave on my journey here. Do you see those lavender vines? It's right behind them," I replied. We explored the cave, and I realized that there were a few tunnels branching off of it. We explored them, and found some really pretty rocks. I put them in my pouch, which I carried everywhere, to be taken to the jeweler. It was a picnic tradition of ours. We would find awesome rocks and have them turned into pendants, charms, and, for the really light ones, earrings. As we rode to the castle, we saw a commotion in the lower town. Then I realized; Merlin was going to fight Arthur!

"Come on, let's check this out," I said to Morgana. We rode down and dismounted. I ran

to the front of the crowd just in time to hear Merlin.

"Do you? Do you give up?" He asked. But then he saw me, and the look of disappointment on my face made him falter.

Arthur hit him in the back with a broom and knocked him to the ground. I continued to look at Merlin in disappointment. The look in his eyes said; _I'm sorry_.

The guards began to pick Merlin up, but Arthur stopped them.

"Wait. Let him go. He may be an idiot, but he's a brave one. There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it," Arthur said. Merlin took a long look at me before Gaius dragged him away. I knew that Gaius was going to chastise him in their chambers, so I didn't follow. Instead, I took Shadowfrost to the stables, and left to my chambers, to read the rest of my book. I finished the book, and read it again. And again. I had more than enough time, as I didn't feel like dinner, and I had already read it, so I would read it faster. By the time I heard Kilgharrah call out to Merlin like he had been doing for the last two nights, I had practically memorized the book. The ending, when Arthur died, was something I needed to fix. I now knew why I had been given the book. I was to fix the future. Prevent the needless deaths. Save Arthur. Save Albion. I decided to go to see Kilgharrah tonight, so I could confront Merlin about his fight with Arthur.

"Adelaide, I called for Merlin, not you. Why are you here?" My dragon-father asked. That was what I had begun calling him about four years ago. Apparently, that's what hatchlings called the Dragonlord that hatched them. Dragon-father.

"Dragon-father, I'm here to see Merlin, and give him a smack in the head. I thought that he would know better than to fight with Arthur again. He disappointed me. It makes me sad, dragon-father. So sad," I called up to Kilgharrah. I ran down to his leg and hugged him. He made a draconic purr.

"Oh, Addy. Stay then. I'll help you chew him out," Kilgharrah said comfortingly. I leapt back onto the ledge, and hid behind the corner for Merlin. Eventually, I could hear him come onto the ledge.

"Merlin," Kilgharrah laughed. I moved silently from behind Merlin and smacked him across the face.

"Adelaide! What are you doing here? Who's calling my name?" Merlin asked while rubbing his face, "and what was that for?"

"I was waiting for you. The voice you're hearing is my dragon-father, and that was for fighting with Arthur! Again!"

Merlin looked at me with fear, "You're half dragon?"

"Yes, Merlin. I'm a scaly, overgrown lizard with wings, and I'm about to roast you alive," I said with cold sarcasm while Kilgharrah had a mock offended look on his face in the background, "why did you fight him? Why? I begged you not to fight him the first time, and you ignored me! Why did you ignore me again?" I looked at him with sadness and hurt.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it!"

I smacked him again, "I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! You are so ignorant! You aren't burdened by the future! I am! So never, _ever,_ ignore my warnings _ever_ again! I didn't want to see you get hurt the first time, so I tried to stop you! And guess where you ended up? The dungeons! You ignored me again, and now you're going to have a bruised back for the next week! Next time, I won't stop you! And then, people will get hurt!" I shouted. I didn't realize that I had been crying until I wiped away my tears. Merlin tried to hug me, but I pushed him away.

"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. What do you mean by 'burdened by the future'?"

"Kilgharrah will explain. I need to go to bed," I said as I hurried from Kilgharrah's cave. I was still angry. I could hear Merlin calling from behind me, but I didn't stop. I knew how this conversation would go, so I didn't need to hear it. I went to my bed and began to read my book once more.

I was in Morgana's chambers, helping her dress, but I didn't know how to do one of the laces, so I left silently to ask Gwen. When I came back, I found Merlin in her chambers, holding a sleeping draught.

I glared at him, but he didn't notice me, so I went and hid behind the door.

"You know, I've been thinking about Arthur. I wouldn't touch him with a lance pole. Pass me that dress, will you Addy?" Morgana said. Merlin paused uncertainly before fetching the dress. Morgana began to undress.

"I mean, that man's a total jouster. And just because we're the King's wards, that doesn't mean one of us has to accompany him to the feast, does it," She continued. Merlin placed the gown on the screen.

"Well, does it?"

Merlin shook his head and said with a high voice, "Mm-Mmm,"

"If he wants one of us to go, then he should invite one of us, and he hasn't," Merlin tried to find a way out of the situation as Morgana continued.

"So, do you know what that means?" Morgana asked.

"Mm-Mmm," Merlin said in an offensively high voice, _again._

"Where are you?" Morgana looked over the screen and Merlin held up one of her cloaks to hide his face.

"Here," _Still_ with the high pitched tone. He peeked through the neck of the cloak and put it down.

"That means that we're going by ourselves," Morgana said, while Merlin tried to leave, "I need some help with this fastening," Merlin looked around in horror.

"Addy?"

"I'm here," I said. Merlin looked at me in surprise, then gratefully, then with apology.

 _I'm sorry about last night,_ He mouthed. I glared at him.

 _Just go. I don't want to talk to you,_ I mouthed back before turning away from him. I knew that I had hurt him, but I honestly didn't care. I went and helped Morgana while Merlin left with his head down. Morgana came out from behind the screen with a new dress.

"So, it's whether I wear this little tease…" Morgana looked at her dress in the mirror, then held up a maroon dress.

"Or give them a night they'll really remember. It is your birthday, so what do you think?"

"I say give them a night they'll really remember," I said mischievously, "after all, you're going to have me to compare to…"

Later that night, Gwen was helping me dress for the feast. I was wearing a long, pale pink, silk, sleeveless dress with a long, wavy train, which expanded about a foot in all directions, and a two meters in the back. There were a few black threaded designs around the skirt of the dress. I had long, silk sleeves starting at my elbows. Gwen styled my black hair into it's normal braided crown with the rest of my hair flowing down my back. However, she did add one small braid that flowed down the middle of my back, with the rest of my hair. I had matching flats on my feet. Gwen then did my makeup, which was soft pink eyeshadow and deep red lipstick. I didn't pass anyone as I went to the banquet, which was good, as I didn't want anyone to see me before my entrance. As I waited for the guard to announce me, I wondered what Merlin would think.

Wait…

Why did I care?

"Lady Adelaide De L'Hiver, King's Ward, Lady of Camelot, Ice Princess of Snowden, future Frost Queen of Snowden, Daughter of Winter King Morrison and Frost Queen Katherine the Fair," The guard announced into the banquet hall. I could tell that everyone was still recovering after Morgana, as they were all murmuring. But when I entered the hall, there was complete silence. Everyone stopped and stared. Then stared some more. I was starting to feel uncomfortable when I met Merlin's eye. He looked in awe, then amazed, then sad, as if he was mourning something that he had lost. Which, he was. Our friendship. But then, I realized that I was being harsh. I had the right to be angry, but I shouldn't have pushed him away, just because he fought Arthur. I decided to stop everyone's staring with a joke.

"Well, what are you all staring at? You look like fish! Go on, stuff your faces, and pretend that I'm not the most beautiful thing in the room for a few minutes, just to give me a breather. Then, go ahead and stare. The looks on your faces are quite funny. I'll laugh about them with Morgana later," I said. Everyone laughed. The festivities continued. Merlin looked at me hopefully as I passed him. I smiled at him.

 _Sorry for being so cruel,_ my eyes said. Merlin looked joyous. I loved seeing him happy. I felt so guilty that I had been so mean to him, and made him so sad.

I could hear Merlin and Gwen talking about me.

"She looks great, doesn't she?" Gwen asked.

"Yeah," Merlin said while gazing at me.

"Some people are just born to be queen,"

"Yeah, she really is," Merlin clearly wasn't paying attention. He was to busy smiling like he had been granted a million coins and gazing at me to register what Gwen was saying. The celebratory horns sounded, and King Uther entered. Everyone found their place at the table.

"We have enjoyed fifteen years of peace and prosperity. It has brought the kingdom and myself many pleasures, but few can compare with the honor of introducing Lady Helen of Mora," Uncle said. The crowd cheered. The music began and everyone took their seats. Mary began to sing. The court members began to fall asleep. I covered my ears, and hoped that Merlin had done the same. Cobwebs began to form over the enchanted sleepers, and the castle began to rapidly age. I noticed her staring at Arthur as she walked forward. Mary pulled a dagger from her sleeve. I looked at Merlin, who was looking at the chandelier, but he looked at me. I nodded at him and mouthed _do something! Do it!_ Merlin magically dropped the chandelier on Mary as she raised her arm to throw the dagger. The court members woke up and pulled the cobwebs off, muttering. Uther and Arthur rose to see Mary Collins on the floor. She raised herself just enough to throw the dagger, but Merlin slowed time and pulled Arthur out of the way. The dagger sliced through Arthur's chair as they fell to the floor. Uther and Arthur stared at Merlin while Mary died.

"You saved my boy's life. A debt must be repaid," Uther said.

"Oh, well…" Merlin said uncomfortably.

"Don't be so modest. You shall be rewarded,"

"No, honestly, you don't have to, Your Highness," Merlin said.

"No, absolutely. This merits something quite special,"

"Well…"

"You shall be rewarded a position in the royal household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant," Everyone applauded. I put my finger to my lips, but apparently, Merlin didn't know what that meant.

"Father!" Arthur said.

I gave them a pitying smile and clapped slowly. Merlin and Arthur looked away from each other unhappily.

"Oh, here's a present from Morgana," Gwen said. She was helping me open my presents in my chambers, as my birthday party had been ruined by Mary Collins.

"What is it?" I asked.

"An egg, of some sort. Oh! Here, on the card. It's a White Owl egg. Apparently they're very rare," Gwen said.

"White Owls are the national birds of Snowden. You don't need to explain them to me, Gwen," I chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Milady,"

"Gwen! How many times must I tell you to call me Addy?" I said in mock exasperation. Gwen laughed. I decided to poke fun at her, "so, I see you've grown close to Merlin…"

Gwen blushed, "Well, he's nice, brave, and he stood up to Arthur. What is there not to like?"

"His stupidity," I joked, "though, I'm sure, he's smarter than he looks,"

"I think that there's something more to him," Gwen said.

"I know that there is. He has a great destiny. One that only time will tell,"

"Of course. Here's one from Uther. It says for you to meet him in the throne room after you're finished opening your other gifts. And one from King Olaf, a necklace. And Arthur says to meet him in the market when you're done with the rest. I have a feeling that Uther is going to give you a more important one, so go to Arthur first. Gaius gave you a new herb pouch. How he knew that you lost the other one, I don't know. You'd better go see what Arthur wants to give you," Gwen said. I left for the market, and saw Arthur talking to an old, friendly-looking woman. He said something, and she nodded, then smiled when she saw me.

"Ah, the birthday girl! I should have known that it would be you, judging by the gift Arthur asked to buy! Come along, dearies!" The woman walked towards her home. We followed her, and as we neared the quaint, stone home, I could hear… _mewing?_

"Arthur, are you getting me what I think you're getting me?" I asked.

"You've been complaining about how silent it is in your chambers, and how you miss your old dog. So, I'm getting you something to sleep with you every night," Arthur said. I was over the moon. _A kitten!_ My parents always said that kittens would die in The Frozen Palace of Snowden, but Camelot was a lot warmer. We entered the old woman's house, and seven kittens came tumbling up. There was a silver tabby with ice-blue eyes, an orange tabby with emerald-green eyes, a black and white tuxedo with amber eyes, a grey mottled with sea-green eyes, a pure white one with pale lavender eyes, a tortoiseshell with pale yellow eyes, and a raven-black one that, I swear, had eyes the _exact_ same colour as Kilgharrah's.

I was in a cuteness overload. The only thing that I could say was, "Can I pick two?"

Arthur chuckled, "Of course. Pick however many you want. Pick all of them, for all I care," I beamed at him, and sat down. The kittens crawled all over me, but it was fine. It was so cute it actually hurt. When I left, I left with seven kittens trailing after me and a new Royal Kitten Supplier.

"Arthur just gave me seven kittens, and it's going to take a lot to top that!" I called to Uncle as I walked into the throne room.

" _Seven kittens?_ How many were you supposed to get?" Uther asked.

"One," I said calmly, before busting into laughter.

"Well, how are you going to feed them?"

"I'll have warm milk for the first few weeks, then I'll have the chef cut some meat into really small pieces,"

"Well, first, my gift for you," Uther said. I was presented with an amethyst necklace. I recognized the design from somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"It is the same design as the Frost Queen's Circlet. I hope that you will wear it when you are Frost Queen," Uther said. I hugged him, and allowed him to clasp it at the back.

"Thank you, Uncle,"

"Now, this is something that your father asked me to give to you if he couldn't make it to your sixteenth birthday," Uther gave me a box that was decorated with snowflakes and frost. I found a key on the bottom, and turned it. I recognized the song as _The Snow Falls On_ , the song that my father and I would dance to around The Frozen Palace during a blizzard. I wiped away tears that had formed in my eyes and hugged Uncle again.

"Thank you," I whispered, before leaving the throne room. I walked back to my chambers carefully, with the box, still playing music, hugged to my chest. I entered, placed the box on my vanity, and wept as the song played on.

"Addy? I need to talk to you," It was Merlin. I opened the door, and he saw that I was crying. I found myself enveloped in a hug. I hugged him back, and I was sure that he could feel my heartbeat quicken.

I pulled away and let him into my chambers, "What do you need to talk about?" I closed the door.

"Well, I have magic, and you know that, so what are you going to d-AH!" I looked around and saw seven tiny kittens tackling Merlin. I laughed.

"The silver one is Twilight, the orange one is Ginny, short for Ginger, the black and white one is Tux, the mottled one is Scamp, the white one is Fleur, the tortoiseshell is Wisdom, and the black one is Raven. I think they like you," I was still laughing, "I'm not going to tell,"

The kittens stopped tackling Merlin, who got up, and they all scampered over to a falling feather.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to see you get hurt. I really care about you, Merlin," I blushed when I realized what I had said. He smiled at me. I swear he looked at my lips and stepped a little closer, but Gwen came in, and Merlin left.

"Well, what happened between _you_ two? Did anything… _exiting_ happen?" Gwen asked. I smacked her arm. She helped me get out of that ridiculously massive dress and into my nightgown. I went to bed, dreaming of what had almost been.

 _ **A/N: Ok! That's the first chapter of this fanfic. Next up: Valiant! Gwen at the end is basically me all the time… sooooooo, how bout your love life? I know that there's some… chemistry,,, between Merlin and Addy. If you think that I'm going to fast with their little… romance… then please, review so I can fix it. FYI, they won't actually become official until after Freya, but I have a little… surprise planned for The Poisoned Chalice… MOI HA HA. Here's the link to Addy's birthday dress; pin/277464027018479126/**_

 _ **And here's a link to the dress Addy wore when she met Merlin;**_

 _ **pin/288230444881525895/**_

 _ **Well, this surely has been eventful. I want to explain something now, so that I don't have to mess up the story by explaining it then. Addy has something called Elemental Magic. It has 30 different classes; Courage, Strength, Magic, Love, Hate, Fury, Peace, Hope, Misery, Bliss, Creativity, Wisdom, Life, Death, Light, Darkness, Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Stone, Metal, Ice, Time, Space, Spirit, Religion, Ancient, Soul, and Mind. Everyone with Elemental Magic can have a class and a sub-class. For Adelaide, her class is Ice, and her sub-class is Time. I'm going to add more people with Elemental Magic to the story, and add chapters that didn't happen in the show. While I'm writing this, I have no internet, so I'm going to pre-write the next chapter. I'll implement any suggestions in The Mark of Nimueh. I have plans for this fanfic… deep, dark, plans... - Megan**_


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